clocks/clocking

The Details

Clocking has been used in hosiery since the 16th century. Historian Daniel Delis Hill writes about the etymology of the term in The History of World Costume and Fashion (2011):

“The ankles of men’s nether hose were also decorated with lavishly embroidered sections called clocks, from a Dutch word meaning bell-shaped.” (398)

Clocks were a unisex feature: A pair of men’s clocked woolen boot-hose from the 17th century can be seen in figure 1, and a painting of a woman wearing clocked stockings in figure 2.

Jose F. Blanco writes in Clothing and Fashion: American Fashion from Head to Toe (2015) that:

“In addition to buckles, decorative stockings worn by men and women enhanced the opulent, patterned textiles of their clothing. In the latter part of the 18^th century, fashionable stockings made of silk or cotton were generally white. They were often adorned with knit or embroidered patterns in metallic thread at the ankle, referred to as ‘clocks’ or ‘clocking’. Of course, they existed along with more utilitarian stockings of linen and worsted wool.” (110)

Author Nan H. Mutnick writes for the Berg Encyclopedia of World Dress and Fashion (2010):

“During the nineteenth century, hosiery was made from cotton, silk, or very fine wool. Those living in the colder climates, such as northern Canada, would have used heavier-weight wool for warmth. Stripes and embroidered patterns called clocks (small embroidered, woven, or knitted decorations on the back of the heel or side of the stocking) were used.” (135-136)

Clocks could contrast with the color of the rest of the stocking (Fig. 3), and were generally positioned to be seen over shoes. An expensively clocked silk stocking with silver embroidery (now tarnished to black) can be seen in figure 4; as is apparent from the staining, white stockings were harder to keep clean. Both men and women wore clocked hose and stockings until the early 19th century; while breeches were worn, men sported clocks (Fig. 5), but they became a woman’s decorative element after trousers were introduced in menswear. Phyllis Tortora mentions the late 19th century style in Survey of Historic Costume (2015):

“Usually stockings matched the color of the dress or shoes. Embroidered and striped patterns were popular. For evening in the 1870s, white silk stockings with colored clocks (a small design) were preferred, whereas black became popular in the 1880s.” (399)

A pair of late 19th-century white silk stockings with monochromatic blue embroidery can be seen in figure 6.

Jose F. Blanco also describes hosiery in the 1840s and beyond:

 “Stockings were another essential accessory that women in the antebellum period rarely did not wear. Most women wore plain white, pale pink, or mauve stockings made of machine-knitted silk or cotton. Some stockings had a decorative design on one side known as clocking.” (27)

“An essential item of underwear worn during this period for men and women was stockings. These were knitted and made of silk, cotton or wool. Decorative embroidery known as clocking decorated the front of the stocking. By the 1840s, stockings were held up above the knee with elastic cords.” (256)

A pair of synthetic-purple machine-knitted girl’s socks can be seen in figure 7; the clocking on them is minimal, and mostly for strength and security, as with the white stitching at heel and toe. As Blanco notes, there is an elasticised section at the top.

The term ‘clocking’ faded in use after the late 19th century, but certain hosiery designers continued to use it for their products. Mary Grey’s ads for “clocked stockings” in Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, and Women’s Wear Daily continued through the 1950s (Fig. 8).